Bubbly
by Authenti
Summary: Mad, yes, but add an L-E-Y and you had her name. Everything works out in the end, and a newcomer to Mineral Town decided long ago that she could do whatever she liked despite laws or inhibitions - as long as she cleaned up the consequences afterwards.
1. Into The Inn

When Madeleine Firley arrived at Mineral Town, her plan was to find a vacation home and stay there forever. The ship that had brought her here was an ancient rustbucket with far too many miles on the motor, and she was immensely glad to be rid of it.

Her messy but clean dyed blush-red hair hadn't taken too kindly to the sea air, and the colour was draining from all the spray that made it over the railing. Her clothes had become damp – a white collared shirt, swiftly covered self-consciously with an old, worn coat, had become almost translucent, and she was starting to get the chills. Her stuffy navy-blue office skirt wasn't doing too well, either, but nevertheless as soon as she set foot on land, she practically sprinted straight into the square, laughing out loud in an uncontrollable bout of hysterics.

She was free! Free from that _stupid dead-end job_, free from her _stupid shallow colleagues, _and most of all, free from her irritating boss.

Well, actually, no, her boss was great. She almost felt bad for leaving Anette to fend for herself, but a boss was a boss, and the law stated you had to complain about them.

"**Hey!**" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "_Anyone have a mirror!?_"

"Whoa, whoa, not so loud there, miss! It's almost eight o'clock. There are children in bed."

Immediately she silenced, still giggling, and then launched herself towards what looked like a policeman and shook his hand roughly. "Evening, love! There an inn around here?"

"C-calm down, alright? Yeah, we've got an inn. I'll take you there, if you promise to be quieter. I don't want to seem discouraging, I just have my job to look after."

"Ah, lovely. I don't have one any more, so you're welcome to talk about work as much as you want." She stifled another giggle and then put her hand to her mouth and inspected her fingers. Seeing the lipstick, she grunted irritably and swiped at her face with the sleeve of the old coat, following the nonplussed policeman out of Mineral Town Square and along a street flooded with electric lamplight. By the time they reached the friendly-looking inn, all of her makeup was now on her sleeve, turning it a multitude of shades of red and pink.

"Alright, there you go, ma'am." He tipped his hat and smiled warmly; Madeleine returned the smile with a wide grin and shoved her way inside, careful of both doors knocking lightly against the walls. She was such a sucker for big entrances, but she wasn't going to be a douche about it.

"Evening, folks!" She grinned around at everyone in the room – a red-haired man conversing with what appeared to be his daughter behind the counter, a man with slicked-back hair that was just beginning to turn grey, and a man accompanied by a heavy backpack and a hat with a feather in it. An old man in the corner with a cloudy white beard gave her a dirty look for disrupting the peace.

"Hey! How're you doing?" The daughter of the barkeep skipped over merrily and met her handshake with some enthusiasm of her own. "Are ya new in town, or have I just been too dozy to ever meet you?"

"New, very new. The five minutes kind of new. I bet my ship hasn't even left yet, but it can BUGGER OFF because I am never going back on that thing ever again. _Deathtrap._"

"Haha! Really? Well, can I get you something?" The girl whisked out a menu that Madeleine hadn't even noticed she'd been holding.

"Actually," she laughed apologetically, "a room would be just fine." The girl nodded, not seeming to be offended just because the offer of food had been declined.

"Okay! Follow me, we're the traditional sort-" they made their way up a flight of stairs "-so we only have two rooms, you know, one for boys and one for girls. I dunno, you kinda look like a girl to me, know what I'm saying?" They shared a bout of laughter at this and then Madeleine swept through the door the girl held open.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, putting one hand daintily to her mouth in surprise. "It's so _perfect! _Honestly, I'm going to have to learn to tidy up after myself if I'm staying here, my room back home- I mean, back _house _– was a real tip."

"Haha, you'll be fine. My name's Ann, by the way. And if you hear noises from next door, it's Cliff, he's super violent and angry and is an axe murderer but don't worry about that _at all._" Ann chuckled and dodged out of the room as Madeleine handed over the money. "Well, I'll leave you to it! Have a great stay!"

Just like that, Madeleine decided she liked this inn a whole lot. As great as it was to leave her pointless job, it was even greater to be staying at such a wonderful place.

As she flopped backwards onto her bed, revelling in how comfortable it was, she pondered on what she should change about herself to match the huge change she'd just made to her life.

Then again… did she really need one?

Fine. Whatever. A change of name was as good as any, and some new clothes couldn't hurt – all she had with her was a purse full of gold coins and exactly what she was wearing.

How to solve the problem of responding to something else? Switch and swap!

Madley Firleine, carefree and content, was asleep within minutes.

---

"Uaaauugh." Madley yawned, one hand held up in front of her face despite there being no one else in the room. Manners were hard to shake.

Madley wasn't one to say she wasn't a morning person. Mornings were the best part of the day, aside from middays, afternoons and evenings. But the wonderfully free feeling she had because she knew there was nothing tying her down any more just made her want to make the most of it, and so she lay in the warm summer sunlight for an hour after she actually woke up, and only then did she quickly shower in the en-suite room and then head out of the room, feeling fairly unpleasant in her office clothes.

Ann met her cheerfully downstairs and immediately offered her a full breakfast, which Madley politely refused in favour of a simple cheese toastie. Okay, so she didn't want to leave _all _of her old life behind. Cheese toasties were still in fashion.

"So, what're you up to all the way out here in Mineral Town? Y'look like a city girl to me."

Madley grinned – madly – and waved a butter knife as if to reprimand Ann for being outspoken. "No, no, not any more. We'll have no more mention of that blasted city. It's a right hell-pit when it wants to be, and when it's not fiery and evil, it's forcing smog down your lungs. I always wanted to run away to the country, er, Ann was it? And now I'm living the dream."

Ann leaned on the bar, resting her head on her elbows and gazing dreamily at the ceiling. "Oh, I'd love to be able to just take off and see the world like that. But I figure I'm better off here. Mineral Town has everything I need."

"Mm, visiting elsewhere is fine, but from what I've seen so far, this town is perfect as it is."

"But you just arrived last night, and came straight here!" Ann pointed out, giggling. "You haven't even seen it yet!"

At this point, Madley forked over some of the dwindling amount of coinage in her pocket to pay for breakfast and stood up immediately. "You're quite right, Ann. Which is why I'm heading out _right now._"

The redhead grinned at the faux-redhead and nodded. "Good idea. I'd go with you, but my morning shift isn't over yet. Oh, but hey, I know who can show you around. If you go left from here and head back to the Town Square…"

With Ann's quick yet clear instructions, Madley made it to the Church in record time. Easing open one of the inviting wooden doors, she glanced around for some indication of who she was meant to be looking for.

"Good morning?" she called, delighted with the way her voice echoed melodically across the clean flagstones. In the second-to-front row, someone turned around swiftly, a ponytail of brown hair flicking the air briefly.

"U-uh, good morning. Carter just… uh, went out for a minute. He should be back soon."

"Ah, but I was told to ask for someone called Cliff. Apparently he's an axe murderer who's willing to give me a tour around town, which doesn't sound suspicious in the slightest." Madley had already figured out by the look on the boy's face that this was, indeed, the axe murderer she was looking for.

"A-axe murderer!?" Cliff looked absolutely mortified.

"You can thank your sweet friend at the bar for that. Nice girl, but boy can she run her mouth. Come on, hurry up."

"But I-"

"Da-" _Don't damn anything, you're in a church! _"I mean, er, _darn _it! I'm in a hurry!"

Cliff glanced around in shock, searching for someone else to pin the responsibility onto, but Carter had heard the commotion and stayed in the graveyard, deciding it was about time someone found a way to make Cliff take a walk.

"I-I'm not really a citizen here, so… I might make a few mistakes…"

Sensing his introversion, Madley took a few mental steps back and reduced her probably intimidating grin to a mere friendly smile, holding out her hand as they exited the church. "It's alright, it's not like I can't find out for myself. To be honest, it's just for the sake of telling Ann I met you – she seemed kind of enthusiastic. My name's Madeli- er, Madley. Madley Firleine." _I'm going to have to get used to that. It sounds similar enough, but remembering to introduce myself as Madley instead of Madeleine is going to take some work…_

"I-I'm Cliff." They shook hands, Madley noting that Cliff's handshake was more like a sock in a cup than a deathgrip. "Ah, where do you want to go first?"

"Well, I'd say start from this end and work our way that way-" she gestured down the street to the right, which looked inviting enough "-and then kind of see where we end up. Unless," she added quickly, "you have any better ideas?"

"No," he said simply. He looked slightly more confident now that he had something to focus on, though. "Uh, follow me? I think you should visit Doctor Trent. Just in case. I mean, I, ah-"

"No offense taken," she grinned. "Bet I look a right _sight _with this getup. I'm ordering some more practical clothes as soon as I can. But you're right, don't want to be diseasing up your whole town if I accidentally brought anything over from the city." She flashed him an encouraging smile and ducked into the clinic, Cliff close behind her.

A woman behind the counter smiled brightly at them both as they entered.

"Welcome! Hello, there!"

"Morning, er, nurse. Haha, sorry, I don't know any names yet. I'm – Madley." _Only a short pause that time. Well, it's a start. _"New in town. Just got here yesterday. My best buddy Cliff here is giving me a guided tour. What a gentleman, eh?"

At the sight of the highly uncomfortable blush on the boy's face, the nurse lady couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes! Heehee… My name is Elli. Good morning to you both. How are you today?"

Madley tossed her hair and quickly realised she was missing something. "_Noooo, _please tell me you have a bobble." She clutched at her messy hair in mock despair.

"A…? Oh, right, a hairband, yes."

"Bloody Americans." She grinned, eyes twinkling mischievously, and stepped forwards to accept a small, pale blue elastic band, swiftly scooping up her hair into a spiky ponytail. "Hah. Thank you. Don't feel quite right walking around with my hair all over the place. All I brought with me is a brush."

Elli nodded sympathetically. "I know how it is. I had long hair, for a while. Oh, but I'm being too chatty! You must meet Doctor Trent-"

"Oh! Yes! Right. Should I make an appointment?"

Elli explained how it worked: one arrived at the Clinic, one asked for a checkup, and one received a checkup. Sounded like a fair deal to Madley, and she handed over the last few coins in her purse. Health was important.

"Morning," she nodded curtly to the dark-haired doctor as she entered the curtained-off area of the Clinic. "I'm from the city, by the way, so if I seem a little tense, it's only because I'm still getting over it." She smiled dryly as Elli struck up a fairly one-sided conversation with Cliff back in the lobby.

Trent nodded and smiled at this. He had a kind look in his eyes, she decided, but somehow also troubled. "I understand. It's stressful over there. I did my training and headed straight here, and I've been here ever since." He invited her to sit on the examination table. She obliged, and watched him tinkering with a couple of drawers, presumably searching for tools or paperwork. "Any prior health troubles I should be aware of?"

Madley laughed as he tapped her knee with a small, oddly-shaped mallet-like object. "Not that I'm aware of. Never been allergic to anything except hard work, and I expect I'll get over that fairly soon – aaa-" (he was examining her mouth with a mirror) "-aa. Speaking of which, do you know of anywhere that's hiring? I can't stay here without a source of income."

Trent took a step back for a moment, giving her a critical once-over. "Hm, you seem fine. Stay out of the sun unless you have some lotion, by the way. Mineral Town gets fairly hot around this time of year."

"And drink plenty of fluids, I know. But, again, any hiring positions…?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. Yes. No. Wait, I'm not sure, but you might want to ask at the farm just to the south of the Library. I've heard the farmer is doing quite well for himself, so perhaps he's willing to take on a farmhand, if you're willing to work outdoors."

Madley nodded and shook hands with the doctor. "Thank you very much, Doctor Trent. I'll take your advice."

* * *

Artists' Comments

So! That's the first, albeit rather long, chapter out of the way. I don't get reviews often any more – which is, as all you authors will know, a terrible tragedy. So remedy this if you have the time, and review to your heart's content!

There's more to come. Thanks for taking the time to read. 3


	2. Sheep Are Evil Undercover

"So then, just because he'd done that, she – oh, hold on, Manna, sorry – good day! May I help you?" A middle-aged woman with well-kept blonde hair tied into a bun smiled brightly over at the newcomers, breaking off conversation with the dark-haired woman who looked like she'd just been stung.

Since Madley didn't appear to be making an effort to talk – instead, she glanced pointedly at him – Cliff found himself taking up the mantle of smooth talker.

"N-no, we… I'm showing her around Mineral Town." Yeah. _Smooth._

"Ah, well, I'm Sasha, and this is Manna."

"Oh! A newbie!" The dark-haired woman quickly bustled over while her friend smiled again and busied herself with some shelving work. "Hello! I run the Aja Winery – have you been there yet? – with my husband – and oh, but aren't you pretty? Honestly, you must ask for a makeover sometime, though I doubt you'd want an old lady like me fussing over you – how old are you, anyway?"

"I'm Mad- yeah, but- who's your husb- ah, thank you – I don't really do makeovers- you don't look old to me- I'm twenty- sorry, I really have somewhere to be," Madley interrupted finally _(enough is enough!), _and stifled a giggle as she began to realise she'd just introduced herself as 'Mad' because she'd gotten lost in the fast-talking woman's speech. "Cliff is showing me around, like he said, and-" _make something up, quick! _"-and, and… and." _Gaaargh- _"I mean, _and _I wanted to finish by, ah-" a glance at the clock "-one o'clock." With a few more rushed excuses and a number of polite goodbyes, Madley shepherded Cliff out of the shop door and shut it behind her, then collapsed on a bench with a loud cry of relief. "Haaaah_neveragain!_"

"Sh-she's kind of a talker, huh."

"Tch! There's no pulling the wool over _your _eyes, is there?" she snapped, perhaps a little too sarcastically. For once, though, Cliff didn't seem to recoil. Perhaps he'd gotten used to her radical attitude by now. Either way, he seemed to know she hadn't been insulting him. "Well, let's go, before she finishes whatever she's doing in there."

Cliff agreed with a determined nod, and they made their way further along. Cliff listed each of the houses as they passed. Madley wasn't really committing them to memory – or if she was, she wasn't making a conscious effort. Instead, she was content merely to enjoy the warm summery breeze on her face.

"A-and this is the Library," she heard him say finally. "Next to it is Mary's house, I don't really know her parents…" He glanced down the street. "Down there is the farm… didn't the doctor mention it?"

Madley thought back to what the man had said about finding a job, and then nodded quickly. She hadn't been paying attention, and now she felt almost guilty. "Right. Okay. We'll go there first."

Cliff seemed fine with leading the way until they reached the border, at which point he turned to face her and stepped aside like a skittish horse not wanting to clear a jump.

"This is it. The farmer's name is Todd. I-I don't think he likes me too much so I'm going back- bye!"

And with that worrying little anecdote, Cliff was gone around the nearest corner. Madley shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. If this man didn't like Cliff, he must be seriously coldhearted.

Either that, or just dumb. There. That thoughtless insult to a man she'd never met gave Madley the courage to step forwards, if only to prove she was above him somehow.

"Good afternoon," a rough voice from somewhere behind the building to her right called out. It was quickly followed by the sound of a door being slammed shut, which wasn't particularly encouraging.

"Ah, hello, I'm not very good at beating around the bush so I'll just ask outright. Do you have any use for a novice farmhand?"

"Sure. Long-term, or short?"

"Long. There's no way I'm off back to the city after ditching my job like that with no good reason. It's a long story, but I always did say I'd come to the country one day-"

A surprisingly young-looking man (she'd been expecting an old geezer with arthritis yelling 'gerroff my property!' and waving a stick) poked his head out from the corner of the house. He was wearing a blue baseball cap backwards, with ridiculous spiked hair jutting forwards over his forehead from what was normally the back of the hat. He grinned at her.

"_Wait. _Is your name Madeleine Firley?"

She stared blankly at him for almost a minute. "Oh my Goddess. You're _the _Todd."

"The one and only! Maddie, it's really you! I didn't recognise you for a minute, not with that dumb office skirt on." He grinned giddily and then they simultaneously ran forwards to hug each other warmly. "Man, I missed you, Maddie."

Madley grinned and pulled back, putting her hands on her hips like some kind of army commander. "Hah! Missed me? That'll be the day. Come on, then, let's get cracking. I have a lot to learn about farm work, Todd, and just because we're childhood friends doesn't mean you're getting away with not paying me."

"Always were the straightforward one. Oh, well, we can talk while we work."

And just like that, Madley was reunited with someone she never thought she'd see again in person. Todd was an old friend of hers – they went way back. They'd met at the age of twelve, and for six years they managed to cause heaps of trouble together through thick and thin. Then, one day, Todd had up and left, saying only that he was worried about a penpal.

To Madley, that was a ridiculous excuse to leave, but then again, it had been her own lifelong promise to escape to the country if her life ever took a wrong turn. And, well, having a perfectly fine and well-paid office job wouldn't seem like a wrong turn to a lot of people.

And by the end of the day, when Madley finally paid her goodbyes – and Todd paid out her cash – the two had become as inseparable as ever. Madley knew this was the most supremely awesome act of coincidence that she'd found such a wonderful place to call home. It was probably going to be the only coincidence quite this awesome that would ever find its way into her life ever again, but she was going to make the most of it, and that was what mattered.

It wasn't much of a surprise that when she fell asleep in her soft, warm, comfortable bed that night, in the inn she'd quickly grown to love, far from the confines of the smoggy city, Madley didn't dream.

After all, she'd heard you only dreamt when you had issues you couldn't sort out in the day.

Morning, and birds cheeped loudly outside the inn room window. Madley threw off the covers and immediately set about getting ready. Unlike her lazy lie-in yesterday, she had a purpose today. Madley tied up her hair into that spiky ponytail, and whisked out of the door to munch a swift breakfast (another cheese toastie – Goddess damn did she love those things) and then bid Ann farewell for the better part of the day.

Something made her take the long way to the farm – through the town square and then doubling back along the street she hadn't yet visited. Perhaps it was curiosity, or perhaps it was because she remembered Ann telling her over breakfast that Manna and her winery were on the same street, and she wanted to evade that woman… at least for today. She wasn't _heartless_.

A quiet, small farm to her right emitted a lowing sound as some cattle grazed nearby or wandered around peacefully in the courtyard. A sheep bleated, and she passed this farm swiftly. Sheep weren't her… _forte_, so to speak. She could have sworn one was watching her as she strolled out of sight behind the farmhouse.

And, staring back at the place _just to make sure_, it wouldn't have been a surprise to anyone watching her that she crashed straight into a young man just exiting the next farm along, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Ah…! I'm so sorry, really, I just- sorry!" The blonde-haired youth clumsily scrambled to his feet and pattered over, hovering over her with one hand slightly outstretched but not quite there, as if he didn't know how she would react.

She grinned up at him and slapped her palm into his, not minding how sweaty it seemed, and let him help her up… well, actually, yanked _him _downwards slightlyto get to her feet.

"No problem at all! I wasn't looking. I was watching the sheep, you see. I do not like sheep at all. Their eyes are _rectangles, _for goodness' sake, I mean do you really expect me to trust something with a window straight into its empty dark abyss of a soul-"

"Wh- no, look, I'm so sorry-"

"Never mind, I wasn't hurt. I hope you weren't?" She glanced him up and down and he went pale under her scrutiny. "Nice apron, by the way. I always wanted to wear one, but it'd have meant working in catering because that's the only opportunity you get for an apron in the city. Nice meeting you, my name's Madley, I really must be going because I am late for a job at that ridiculously huge farm down the road and after today I can buy some new clothes." She made to sweep off in the direction of the farm in question, but something made her glance back over her shoulder. The blonde one was casting about uselessly, looking for something on the floor and squinting as if the sun were in his eyes.

She slowed, still watching him, and then stopped altogether. _Sigh. Typical. I'm in a hurry, and I make someone lose their glasses. _Guiltily she turned on her heel and headed right back for the apron-guy. He straightened up immediately when he heard her footsteps, blushing slightly.

"Ah- I-"

"Sorry, I didn't realise you wore glasses." He made to retort, but she held up a hand (which was probably blurry to him, but he seemed to get the point). "It's my fault, and I'm sorry. I just hope they're not broken." She was already searching the ground, careful of where she stepped, and soon caught a glint of the morning sun on the lens. She stooped to scoop up the pair of glasses and returned them to their owner with an extremely painful bout of guilt.

"The… uh… lens. Is broken. I shall buy you another pair," she added, in a terrible rush to correct the situation. She fished around in her pocket and found yesterday's salary from Todd – she'd filled her purse entirely, albeit she deduced that Todd was overpaying her for her first day. "This enough?"

"H-huh?" Rick felt something thrust into his free hand, and quickly put on his broken glasses (luckily, only one lens was cracked) to stare down at the handful of gold he now wielded. "B-but this is- this is far too much, and I don't need it, really I don't-"

"Bye, now!" the blonde girl practically shrieked at him from where she was jogging backwards halfway down the street, waving back at him and tripping backwards, hopping thrice to regain control, then turning to face the direction she was going for once. One fall was enough for one day, thank you.

Rick watched her leave, too dumbstruck to move until Popuri tapped him on the shoulder.

"You should really give that back, you know. Ladies only 'accidentally' give you extra of anything as a test to make sure you're honest." She grinned at him mischievously, and he scowled at her as best he could from behind the cracked lens of his glasses.

"That is _not _what this is about. I'm sure she really just had no idea how much these cost. Of course I'm giving it all back to her. I don't need her money anyway." He shrugged to straighten his apron out and deposited the money in the front pocket, then went to pick up a bag of chicken feed from the mill. "Besides, I have to drop this off at Todd's place anyway."

Popuri giggled childishly at him. She'd seen the faint smile creeping onto his face, even if he hadn't realised it was there. "Best of luck, brother-of-mine," she called after him mockingly. If she knew clumsy girls like she thought she did, there was no way that 'Madley' girl was going to let Rick give all of the money back. It was about time he got a new pair of glasses, anyway.

Writer's Note:

Yo! Again, another long chapter. They'll probably all be long, actually, since I prefer to keep chapters consistent within a thousand words' leeway. Sorry to those of you who prefer shorter chapters!

Anyway, please review if you have the time since I don't get them often, though I'm not going to demand it because that would be unfair, so feel free to fave and run. xD

Thanks for reading!


	3. Gift Of The Gab

Madley spent the better part of the morning learning from Todd about all the features of his farm. The entire field was covered in everything from pebbles to rocks to boulders, and from dandelions to branches to thorn bushes. Somewhere in the mess they'd found a dog that Todd insisted was his, and later found the little red collar to prove it snagged on a bramble bush. The dog was healthy, much to their relief, but Madley coldly reprimanded him for losing the poor animal.

"I only lost track of him last night, alright? This place is a dump. I can't keep tabs on everything." He grinned irresponsibly. "Besides, this is why I hired you – to keep an eye on things – right, Maddie?"

"It's Madley now," she corrected him; and she made her way to the chicken coop in a huff. Todd had never really taken anything seriously, and it seemed even running a farm properly was beyond him. Still… he'd done a good job for the years he'd been alone here. She had to give him _some_ credit, no matter how much of a grudge she was building up against his laziness.

Todd, meanwhile, answered the door to the farmhouse with a TV remote in hand.

"Oh, hey, Ricken. I was just, uh…" Nah. No need to lie. "…Slacking."

"So I see," Rick replied haughtily, adjusting his glasses. He had never taken to Todd's nickname for him. "I hope you at least remembered to feed your chickens today."

Todd rolled his eyes. "Nah, my dog Snaggle ate 'em." Rick raised an eyebrow at him and folded his arms. "Haa, no, I got someone else taking care of that today. Her name's-"

"Madley, yes. That's why I'm here."

"Uh-oh. I'm guessing that's, uh, why your glasses are broken?"

Rick bit back a growl of impatience. "_Where is she?_" Clearly he wasn't willing to sit through small-talk today. Todd winced.

"Jeez, man, she's in the coop. Been there all day. I dunno what's gotten into her, really." Almost before he'd finished the sentence, Rick stormed off to the southern part of the farm. Todd glowered at him from afar and then slammed the door.

Rick took a deep breath. Give her the money, leave. End of story. He felt around in his apron pocket for the bag of gold he'd deposited there earlier and then eased the door open as quietly as he could, jamming his foot in the door to stop one of the chickens from making a break for it. He'd pretty much raised that one himself – it was the oldest in Todd's coop, and even though the scruffy bird was clearly on its last legs, it still kept to the age-old opinion that escaping was _hilarious._

"Coo-pee-coo," a voice from inside the building chattered. "Coo-coo, chicken, ka-chicky-chick- OHGODDESS-!" Madley leapt back from the group of chickens as if she'd been burned, her cheeks quickly flushing cherry-red. "Uh- I, er, wh- n-"

Rick grinned apologetically. "Don't worry about it. My sister sings to the chickens too. She thinks no one can hear her, but it's not like the coop's too well-insulated as far as sound is concerned." This only caused Madley to bury her face in her hands.

"Rick, I am so sorry. Well, not sorry. Embarrassed. Please don't tell Todd about this."

Rick blinked stupidly at her. "Why would I?" _Oh, that's right. She doesn't know you're on bad terms with that jerk._ "Uh, I mean…" He corrected his glasses with finger and thumb, a nervous habit he'd never gotten around to abolishing. "I won't. Really."

_It's still bad enough just _you _caught me, _was what she wanted to say, but her mouth would have been too muffled by her hands at that point. She still hadn't even looked at him since she'd realised he was there.

"Uh, look… I came to return this. I don't need your money. It was an accident, so…"

Madley finally showed her face, shoving her hands in her pockets instead. "No. Well, yes, it was an _accident_, but that doesn't mean you can give me the money back. I don't need it. I've paid for today and tomorrow at the Inn already, and Todd's paying me too much for this week anyway since it's my first week in Mineral Town…"

Rick zoned out as she began to describe the rest of her life – not in detail, but certainly in quantity. He knew it was rude of him, but he felt like-

"But I guess listening to the rest of that might make your head explode," she finished, smiling. The unnatural blush had gone from her face and she looked a lot more comfortable now. He realised this was how she dealt with embarrassment – blathering about something else until she forgot about the issue. "Well, anyway, I never did find out your name. Shall we re-try the introduction thing?"

Rick found himself shaking her hand, the other being guided into his apron by a glare from her that suggested if he didn't put the money back in his pocket the she would tell him exactly where else he could put it.

"My name is Madley Firleine. It used to be something else, but I'm having it legally changed by tomorrow so my old boss can't track me down and kill me. She was a good boss, but all's fair in… work… and farming. Excuse me for changing the old saying from love and war, but I'm at a loss for what else to say."

"R-Rick," he stammered, managing to escape her firm handshake at last. "I'm Rick. I sh-should go, uh, I have – things to, uh, do. Bye." With that trundling behemoth of a bad excuse, he 'flew the coop' and started on a brisk walk back out of the farm.

Rick got the feeling he was being watched all the way back home. Unfounded, of course; other than a suspicion that the new 'farmer's apprentice' wasn't quite finished with her say yet.

And although he didn't turn around for fear of encouraging her, he had no choice but to acknowledge her as soon as he stepped into the boundaries of his own farm.

"Hi, Rick! Gonna introduce us?" Popuri. Straight to the point as ever a sister could be. Rick attempted to brush her off lightly, and failed miserably.

"This is-"

"Hi! I'm Madley Firleine. Nice to meet you! I knew he couldn't just live on his own, figured he must have a family hidden away somewhere." The frustratingly friendly blonde slipped past Rick. The city-escapee met the infuriating sister; and thus all hell broke loose.

Rick ducked inside the house to be free of their hundred-mile-an-hour chatter and squealing, but the sanctity of the ground floor didn't last long.

"Mom! This is Madley! She's here from the city, and she's staying!"

"Hi! Glad to meet you! You must be Lillia – bet you're so proud of your kids. They're both so smart. I want to raise chickens when I settle in. Think I'll take over the chicken coop from Todd, you know Todd, right? He's so lazy. Always was. Knew him since we were kids. Anyway his chickens are getting lazy too. They say pets resemble their owners, and I guess chickens aren't really pets, but-"

And with that, Rick fled upstairs and desperately hoped for a miracle.

The miracle, as it turned out, was the appearance of Manna to the little poultry farm. And that little miracle began to happen a lot more often.

The more observant residents of Mineral Town each secretly noted how Manna and Madley were never in the same place at the same time. The truth was, Madley didn't hate the woman. She just couldn't _stand _being around her. So she planned her schedule, and she avoided certain places at certain times, and after one week her timing was so perfect the two stopped seeing each other at all.

One day, however, Manna had – quite innocently – decided to head to the Supermarket a little later than normal. Todd and Madley, who were just returning with some armfuls of seed bags, almost bumped right into her as they turned the far corner.

"Oh Goddess, Todd, it's _her. _Hide me!"

Todd wobbled and almost dropped the seeds as his friend ducked behind him and peered over his shoulder. "Maddie! Get lost! I can't- look, no, just go the other way or something – I don't even know what your problem is with her-"

"Oh! Madley! I was hoping to talk to you!" _Goddess no! Run!_

"Sorry, Manna, really have to go-"

"It'll only take five minutes-"

"I have a _really important _thing to do _right now _in-" _Think, Madley, think!_ She cast about helplessly for a saving grace to the situation, and her eyes met the sign beside the tall building a little way behind her. "…In the Library. Got a book to read. And I don't have much time to read it before, uh, things. Yeah. Bye, sorry." She thrust the groceries at Todd, who stumbled around a little trying to balance the huge heap of packages he now found himself with, and then she vanished from sight through the Library door.

Manna raised a hand to her mouth and chuckled pleasantly. "Hahaha, such an odd girl. Anyone would think she was trying to avoid me."

"Yeah," Todd agreed, grimacing behind his stack of items, "weird, huh?" Luckily, the sharp-tongued gossip didn't seem to notice his sarcasm, and merely bid him good day.

Meanwhile, Madley leaned back against the door as she closed it quietly, and slid down it to land comfortably on her bottom, too relieved to pay attention to her surroundings.

Someone tripped over her outstretched legs, and suddenly books and pens spilled everywhere. "…Ouch…"

Madley gasped and scrambled to free herself, then immediately busied herself helping the bespectacled librarian recover. "Oh Goddess I am _so sorry_, this is the second time I've tripped someone, I really have to be more careful, my fault, honestly, sprawled out like that-"

"I-it's okay, really," Mary smiled weakly, the other girl's overpowering personality making her feel slightly light-headed. "I'm alright. Oh, thank you," she added, as Madley scurried around picking up all of the books.

"Where do you want these?" Mary insisted on taking half of them, and together they began quietly filing books.

"So, uh… what brings you here, anyway?" Mary asked politely, and was met with a guilty grin from the new girl.

"To the Library? Honestly? I was escaping from Manna." She laughed sheepishly. "And I feel kind of bad about that. She doesn't deserve it, really. She just reminds me of my aunt." To her surprise, Mary nodded in recognition with an equally guilty smile on her face.

"Yeah… she can be a-"

"Flibbertigibbet," came the huffy interruption as Madley shoved the final book into its resting place.

"Exactly!"

The two exchanged haughty expressions, then burst out laughing. "Can tell I'm going to get along with you," Madley giggled, and held out a hand. "I'm Madley. I've been here for about a week, give or take, but I hadn't found the time to visit the Library until now. I'm working with Todd."

Mary's eyes widened slightly behind her gleaming lenses. "Todd as in the farmer?" A hand found its way to cover her mouth slightly, as if affronted by the mere idea. "You… Are you alright over there? I mean, I don't want to be rude… but… he's not…"

"A social butterfly," she grinned. "Yep. I know him from a long way back. He's a jerk and he knows it, but he only does it to be funny. Unless he doesn't like you. In which case he'll find an excuse to punch you." She grinned. "He hasn't punched anyone, has he?"

Mary found her smile again. She knew a lot of people who had met that particular side of Todd. "Do you want the full tally chart?"

Madley snorted involuntarily and then fell into a laughing fit. "Hahahaha! Th-thought as much, too, a-haha! He's such a jerk. All of the time. Every day. But I can't help but laugh." She wiped an imaginary tear away and continued. "Do you know what, though? He's lazy too. A lazy jerk with an entire farm to be lazy and jerk-ish on. And that is why I am living in the Inn and not with the lazy jerk."

"Actually… I know a few, uh, jerks. I shouldn't really call them that."

"Mm? Go on." As Mary went to sit down behind the desk and picked up a pen, Madley picked a book from the shelf and went to sit by one of the tables along the western wall of the library.

"Well… there's Kai. He comes to Mineral Town every Summer. He's-"

"A ladies' man?" Madley ventured. "Mm. I heard from Rick."

"You can't believe everything Rick says about Kai," Mary warned suddenly. "I mean, most of it is true. But they're really not on good terms, so… well, I don't like spreading rumours. I shouldn't say."

"Nah, I know what you mean. Manna has the gift of the gab; you're not going to win that title from her unless you wrest it from her cold, dead voicebox." She giggled at such a dark metaphor and Mary put the pen down. She'd only written a single word since they'd started gossiping; there was no point.

"In any case, though, Rick has his reasons." The blonde blinked at her in confusion. "He… hasn't told you? Well… you'll find out, I suppose." She waved a hand dismissively as Madley attempted a puppy-dog-eyes look to try and get her to let the cat out of the bag. "No, no, I can't say, it'd be wrong."

The farmer's assistant couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, but she hid it well. "Pfft. It doesn't matter. Well, anyway, what about the other jerks you mentioned?"

The door behind them opened and shut quietly, and Mary visibly tensed up. Madley turned. A young man with a blue and white cap was standing perfectly still just inside the door, staring at her.

"Er, hello," she tried. He tugged the brim of his hat downwards slightly and mumbled what might have been a greeting, then crossed the room in a few heavy steps and began browsing along a bookshelf. Madley glanced back to the librarian. "He one of them?"

"Huh?"

"I said, is he- _ohh, _okay." Madley grinned at the daydreaming dark-haired girl and walked over to pat her hand sympathetically. "Okay, I'm leaving now." She picked her way over to the door, and on the way out she belted out a line from a song she'd heard on the radio back in the city. "_One day, my prince shall come… __**my knight of shining Uma!**_" And that last swift-tongued change of the last sentence made Mary snap back round to stare at the closing door, horrified.

"Oh, Madley!" she hissed loudly as Gray approached from the side.

"What was she singing about?"

Mary re-read the words on his hat, and almost broke out into a fit of nervous laughter. "N-nothing. Nothing at all…"

Author's Note

I just realised, in all this time I've been on , I completely forgot to turn on Anonymous Reviews. XD

Well, they're enabled now. So those of you who couldn't review before, please, please, _please _leave a review! Thank you so much for reading! 3

…It's not like me to beg, but seriously. Reviews. :V


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